Saturday, January 18, 2014

January was off to a rocky start at my house. There was stomach flu, an infected finger, bitterly cold weather, burst pipes, livestock concerns. But I don't want to talk about any of that.

Last night we made a fire and ended up on the couch in front of it, playing rummy with the kids perched on the back of the couch, watching us, since their card proficiency does not extend beyond Go Fish. I'd already played Jenga with them anyhow. They sprawled. There was some tooting. Some teasing. So bitter rummy competition between me and K. It's easy to entertain ourselves these days.

Quotes I'd like to remember:

Annaliese with a birthday package on her lap, Caspian wistfully wondering if there was anything from Grandfather in it for him. Annaliese: "Don't worry Caspian. I'll let you play with my toys. Pinky-swear." 

(And there WAS something for him! A hand-tooled wallet with a $5 bill that completely made his day.)

Caspian, yesterday, as Annaliese handed him a yogurt she'd brought from the store for him. ""I've been waiting for the yogurt truck my entire life." 

Annaliese lost her first tooth this week. She took her gold dollar coin to school to show her class that the tooth fairy does exist. Her other bottom tooth is hanging by a thread but I haven't let K. pull it because I'm not adjusted yet to her missing one tooth, let alone two. 

The store is in the January woes and it's challenging these days to keep solvent, but it doesn't phase me as much as it used to. It's been this way before. It'll be this way again. In the mean time, I get to hang out with my favorite folks. 












Friday, January 03, 2014

Staycation Number One

So, I didn't work this week. Except Monday. Instead, I've stayed home with my babies and listened to them play with each other. I read a few books, colored a few pictures, and we broke out that Chinese checkers game Grandfather gifted us for Christmas. I did not bake, but I got K to make chocolate chip cookies last night, so that kind of counts. I burned my finger badly, walked with them downtown, took them to the exercise store, let them eat BBQ in the truck, dug in the flower beds, ordered rose bushes, fruit trees, and vegetable seeds, folded laundry, cleaned out the downstairs closet a little bit, and lay around quite a lot. And now I blogged. I am a paragon.

Annaliese this morning, before our walk downtown:


The kids spent a solid half-hour building a house together. Caspian was only allowed to build the walls, though they are technically his legos.


We tried to play soccer outside but Annaliese is very bossy and kept making up rules. We tried freeze tag but Caspian is very whiny and kept needing a break whenever i was close to tagging them. Fun was had somehow, nonentheless.


The wagon is in the shop getting tricked OUT (Thanks again, Grandfather!) so K has been letting me drive his struck. Sometimes. When I beg.


Last week Auntie E. came to visit. The poppets adore her.


 She brought Charlie. We took him to the river. Other than my illness, an empty propane tank, and some bad weather, they seemed to enjoy themselves.


Tomorrow, life resumes. I'll be back at work. Annaliese is turning SIX on Monday (!!!!) and so we are taking the birthday girl and some friends out for roller skating and sundaes. School resumes Monday after a two-week break.

I am not sad, exactly, because I like regular life. But the sunshine sure feels good through the windows as you sit on the couch. Til next winter, laziness.

*I WILL have more time off between now and next winter. But most likely it'll be the traveling-to-see-folks time off variety.